Blood Iron and Bone by Sera Foxe is about a kingdom on the edge of being taken over by darkness and the only way to rid of it is through a prophecy of a boy and a girl born on the same night. But what if the fated couple is not the right one?

I was very excited to receive the ARC for this book just based on the plot. However, the book just fell flat for me. I normally don't care if a book is written in 3rd person, but it just did not pan out well here. The pacing is very slow and a big part of that is due to the over descriptive, passive writing. Not a lot happened in the first 40% of the book, which is where I decided to DNF it, and barely any conversation. We were majority of the time in one of the characters thoughts. The characters seemed very simple, which is weird as many of them are from the Otherworld. Speaking of characters, there are 6 POVs in this story and to be honest, I don't think I even got to read about all of them.

I have seen reviews that it gets better towards the end, but I just can't get myself to spend more time on the story when the first 40% has not hooked me. It could very well be a personal preference and this book is just not for me. This would be a great book for someone who loves books with a lot of details. and multi-POV.

I unfortunately had to dnf this book. I really liked the premise of this, but it was a bit much for me. I felt very confused. There were 6 pov's, which was to much to me. They all had different storylines. Because of that I felt like I was missing other things happening. And the fact that it also kept jumping back and fourth from present to past didn't help either. The world building was great and very interesting. But I felt there was just to much for me to focus.

Tropes:
Multi POV
Magic
Fated mates
Curse & prophecies

The concept of this book could have produced a really good story but sadly this was not good. I love that idea of having a prophesy attached to your destiny at birth and also that fated mates with the necessary arranged marriage storyline. I also like the idea of the princess locked in her tower until she can live out that prophesy and lift the curse of the land with her betrothed. I even don't mind the "I am not like other girls" (spoilers: because I am not actually a human from this world)...

However, I think mainly this book needed a lot more editing -- editing in structure, length, and writing style. I almost DNFed it twice but read some reviews that claimed it got better so I pushed through and still I was disappointed in the end and did not like it.

The first and biggest issue is the pace. Nothing, I mean nothing at all happens for the first half. This feels excruciating because the writing is overly verbose and descriptive (not in the good way), lingering on random details that sadly don't contribute to make the world feel more interesting. The story actually begins around the 60% mark and we get something finally happening around the 70% mark. That's simply too long to grab our attention. What this does is everything is chaotic, messy, predictable, and rushed at the end to make it all happen in the last 30% of the book.

Now, all this could have been tolerable or even worth it with incredible characters. Alas... none of them were warm, none of them had depth, none of them were like-able (maybe Nova the human maid/captive?) or hate-able for that matter, none of them were intriguing either to wait for more books in the series.

For being superior beings (as we were told) the fae characters were not that bright or assertive. If your story can exist without the supposed two main characters to some extent then something went really wrong. She was bland and I still don't know her personality, while he was absolutely inconsequential... in a hazy sex vision the whole book. Also the impression that not their union symbolically is the thing that broke the curse, but rather the actually practical sexual act ('we'll keep on trying" or something like after their second coupling) made it so cheap and disgusting really.

I do think it's possible to get over all these and still enjoy for what it was, and the rest of the story might become more interesting. For it felt like there were too many hurdles to jump over in order to like this book.

BLOOD IRON AND BONE contains multiple POVs ( 6, to be exact ) and fated mates.

i loved the premise and plot of the book, and i cannot wait to continue on with the series! nova is my favourite character thus far, i LOVE HER. although aurelia is absolutely a close second.

however, i felt like this book didn’t live up to it’s full potential. the first half of the book felt dragged out, with flashbacks adding as fillers. this book could have easily been cut 100 pages short. IMO the world building was a tad confusing ( but then again, that might just be me ).

in terms of the romance, it is more of a sub-plot ( which i didn’t mind ), but it felt more insta-lovey for me between two of the couples ? as for lark, while i empathised with her character, i can’t help but dislike her ( a little ) given how she treats nova.

to put it out there, I THINK I FIGURED OUT WHO ANDAR’S BROTHER IS ! i was raging at the characters towards the end out of sheer frustration because half the time they just weren’t listening.

This book really surprised me! 4.5 stars rounded up (thank you NetGalley, Agency Press, and Sera Foxe for this ARC. all opinions are my own).

I’m ngl y’all (I’m always honest in my reviews), I was 35% in and prepared to give this three stars at best. I was confused, there were a lot of main characters so I didn’t feel connected to them, and I felt like Aurelia’s character was a little inconsistent. Then, I don’t know what happened, but I turned the page and WOAH. I couldn’t put it down. I was so enthralled, so into the story. My confusion turned to me wanting to figure out the puzzle and eventually, I did really like the characters. The fated mates was something I was constantly rooting for but the romance worked in harmony with the main plot and wasn’t everything in the book. Plus, there were seeds for multiple romances, which is great for a romance lover like me.

At one point I was like, “…is this the next cruel prince?” It was an immersive fantasy world that was different than other romantasies but still familiar—hitting all the things you wanted. I’ll definitely be tuning in for the rest of the series because that ending was satisfying but left me in a way where I know it’s going to get juicy.

Things I loved:
🌞 the prophecy with the sun!!!
❤️‍🔥 the fated mates. Y’all know I love this trope. Plus, I know we’ll get more in future books
🏰 the Otherworld setting. I love a world within a world!
🗡️ Nova. I loved her from the moment we met her and I am so rooting for her and Cillian
🛡️ Andar!! Now that he (spoiler) has his wings and is Commander, I know he’s going to get hotter.
🕊️ The lost twin sisters storyline. I really hope they get close and each twin finds happiness

While I struggled to get into the book at first, and many POV's - the endurance was worth it! The story is told from six different points of view, which becomes more naturally the longer you read but can be confusing at first. Central to the plot are themes of destiny and preordained relationship, a detailed and immersive setting, blending elements of magic, politics, and prophecy! For those interested in a romantic fantasy featuring complex characters and a richly imagined world, "Blood Iron and Bone" is a promising addition to the genre.

well that was an experience, if you want a quick mindless read... this isnt it. The author writes in 6 different POVs and the feeling of whiplash is definetly there but hang on for the ride because the book is so unique and great. The book is fast paced and feels like unraveling a giant mystery. The magic system needs a little more explaining for my taste but im sure it will come. The spice was there but it wasnt very important, solving the curse is. I will definetly be re-reading this and will wait for book 2.

Thank You NetGally for allowing me to arc this book.

I’m always honest in my feedback of books, that I am given the chance to read and review on. Especially here on NetGalley. I appreciate the fact that I got access to this- but I need to be honest and admit that this book was a hard read. Aurelia feels a bit naive as a MFC, of such power and prophecy that her story arc develops in. Maybe it’s just me. 3 stars- idea was original. But I needed more.

I received this book as an ARC.

I want to start by saying that I found the book and storyline to be interesting! I will be picking up book 2 to see how it continues.

The crux of my issues are that I struggled to follow the various POVs at times and I don’t like when books frequently jump between the present and past. While I understand the need for the multiple points of view after completing the story, I tend to find that more than a few is overkill and weighs the story down. I liked what I read, but wish that it had been condensed in POVS, if that makes sense. In regards to the time jumps, I typically become bored when we dive into past “memories” more than one or twice in a book and prefer to have brief mentions of the past rather than fully reliving the moments.

As I said, I will be reading the next book so obviously the issues mentioned above are not going to deter me from finding out what happens next 😊

Overall I really enjoyed this book! There were some editing issues I noticed throughout, I started marking them on my KU to see how often I stopped. It was a bit confusing at times but overall I was very fond the story.

The multiple viewpoints definitely sets up for a lot of storylines and I can see so many different ways this could be taken. I also enjoyed the simplicity of Aurelia and her more modern thinking crossover with a world so unlike most other fantasy stories I have read. It really is a unique take. I can honestly say I have not read another story like this and will recommend it.

The point of view switch that seemed to be happening by line at times, was where it was hard to keep track of who was talking. The story didn’t always identify who was speaking and with so many different perspectives I feel that would make this easier to read. I almost put it down a few times and I’m glad I pushed to the end.

.I would have given it four stars if it wasn’t for the two things mentioned above, but I’m excited to see the story progress and with continue the series.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I personally did not enjoy the writing style and it made it hard to continue reading. That’s not to say the writing style is BAD, it’s just not my preference, which is okay, it happens! I think if the premise sounds intriguing to you, and you usually like 3rd person/multi pov stories, still give this one a shot!

I’m choosing not to review this book on my other platforms because I don’t want to dissuade others from trying this book, when the reasons I didn’t like it were due to personal preferences and not the quality of the actual book.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

3.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this digital arc is exchange for an honest review.

Overall the premise of the books was really interesting and the world building was very immersive. However the writing took some getting used to because it was description heavy at times and the multi-POVs in third person were confusing in the beginning, especially when multiple characters were in the same scene and the POV would switch multiple times in the same chapter. I found some of the characters interesting and I do want to follow their story in future books, but because there was 6 main characters, their story arcs were not fleshed out equally.

The love story that’s supposed to be central to the plot between Andar and Aurelia wasn’t believable to me. They barely interacted with each other and most of it was feelings of attraction and lust, especially within the last two chapters. There was no buildup or substantial scenes where we got to see their relationship develop enough, especially since the book’s plot happened roughly over 2-3 days. Their relationship was already somewhat established before the story began so when they actually met it didn’t pay off and I didn’t feel like we got enough buildup to make me want to root for them. I was way more invested in the little crumbs we got from Cillian and Nova.

I understand the book takes place over only a few days but the large cast of characters leaves little room for all of them to get the proper development and arcs they need to be fully fleshed out characters. The concept of the book was intriguing but I don’t think it was executed as well as it could have been. Despite this I did enjoy my time reading this and I wouldn’t mind picking up the next book to see how the story progresses.

Sadly the writing style just wasn't for me, I really tried to continue after seeing so many positive reviews and all the tropes I normally love like found family, But sadly - not one for me!

Blood Iron and Bone (The Lightbringers, #1) by Sera Foxe

Aurelia , a mortal girl, hears a strange call in the night and is compelled to answer...

In another world, Andar, betrothed to the future High Queen of Áithrim , can't understand why his supposed fated mate looks so right, but feels so wrong...

Duty, fate, blood iron and bone collide under a cursed sky...

Rating: ***
Feels: Anticipation,
Style: Fantasy, Romantasy, Fae, Magic, High Fantasy
First published Published March 21, 2025 : 567 pages, Kindle

This book has so many unique features and is a really amazing read. So much is going on with the characters, multiple POV, subplots and lore. So many good elements of fantasy I love in this story with fated mates and a curse that plagues them. Just something about high stakes love and having to save you mate that I really love in a story. There was alot of detail that needed to be focused on and I'm sure as the world unfolds even more will be brought forth. This definitely had more of an epic fantasy feel with the details.


This book has:
Strong FMC
Multiple POV (6)
Slow Burn
Chosen One
Touch her and die
Found Family
Fated Mates
Politics
Magic

Okayyyyy Sera!!!! I’m hooked. I’m ready for book two.

Just a heads up to readers, this book is written in the third person but it’s done so well!! Sometimes third person is hard for me because I get confused but I really liked it for this book!! There are so many impactful characters, separate chapters would not have been the way to go.

I love a story with a prophecy! This one is just vague enough to have you questioning everything. It has so many things I love; fated mates, political intrigue, threat of rebellion, touch her and X, and an animal side kick! I also really enjoyed the play on fairy folktales, switching out your child for a changeling, the power of knowing names, and making deals.

I’m super excited to continue reading about Andar, Aurelia, Lark, Cillian, Nova, Greymalkin, and I have a theory about another character!!

I could not get into this book. I did not like the idea of someone using a love potion on someone to make them fall in love. I don’t really care to continue the book.

I liked the premise of this book however, the pace was slow in parts and inner monologue was repetitive at times. The jumps between pov made it hard to follow. I enjoyed maw and the excerpts from her journal and the relationship between nova and Gillian.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the arc!

I found the plot and world building of this book really good fun and was really intrigued about the first character’s (Aurelia) development. The tropes were great, but I found the several povs and sudden switches in perspectives/flashbacks really difficult to keep up with and thus took away the enjoyment.

I think this could be a really great series but I wouldn’t continue with this due to the format.

First, I want to say thank you so much to the authors, the publisher, and Netgalley for the e-arc!

Ultimately I ended up having to dnf Blood Iron and Bone. I found the multiple POVs jarring and hard to keep up with, and I honestly struggled to understand what was going on.

I do think this has to do more with my personal reading preference though, and absolutely feel that there are plenty of readers out there that will enjoy this book!